Vietnamese American Workers’ Rights Project to Hold Series of Community Education Events

Free Legal Services Available for Low-Income Vietnamese American Workerrs in San Jose

Contact:

Lan Diep

Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center

855-303-0067

ldiep@las-elc.org

Ruth Silver Taube

Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center

855-303-0067

rsilvertaube@las-elc.org

October 31, 2013

San Jose, CA.

The Vietnamese American Workers’ Rights Project (VAWRP), which provides free legal services to Vietnamese Americans facing problems in the workplace, today announces a series of Vietnamese-language community workshops aimed at educating the Vietnamese American community in the South Bay about their rights on the job.

The first of these events will be held on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 6:45pm at the Tully Community Branch Library at 800 Tully Rd.; San Jose, CA 95111. Through legal advice, limited representation, education, and advocacy, VAWRP enables those with limited-English-proficiency to protect their employment rights and maintain their livelihoods.

These workshops will demystify areas of state and federal labor law for limited-English-proficient Vietnamese speakers, such as rules regarding meal periods and rest breaks, the difference between an independent contractor and an employee, and the right to a safe workplace free from discrimination. “It is my hope that once Vietnamese Americans understand their rights in the workplace, they will start to assert these rights and speak up when facing injustice at work,” said Lan Diep, VAWRP project director.

Lan, who recently joined the VAWRP, previously worked at the Mississippi Center for Justice as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow. In this position, Lan assisted limited-English-proficient Vietnamese American fishermen in the Gulf Coast to file claims after the BP oil spill. For these efforts Lan was honored by the Huffington Post as its Greatest Person of the Day on April 27, 2011; by the White House as a Champion of Change, and by President George H. W. Bush’s Points of Light Institute with the 4,748th Daily Point of Light Award.

“We are delighted to be joined by Lan Diep, whose experience providing legal assistance to the Vietnamese American community will be put to good use here in the South Bay”, said Ruth Silver Taube, LAS-ELC Senior Staff Attorney. “We are looking forward to expanding our services to this community, and we encourage those with problems in the workplace to contact us for help.”

The Vietnamese American Workers’ Rights Project began in early 2013 as a collaboration between the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center (LAS-ELC) and the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California (VABANC) under the direction of attorney Betty Duong. LAS-ELC continues the project with funding from Shartsis Friese LLP.

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About the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center | www.las-elc.orgLAS-ELC, founded in 1916, protects the rights and economic self-sufficiency of working poor people by providing a wide range of free legal services and by engaging in policy advocacy, public education, and technical assistance on behalf of low-income workers and their communities. LAS-ELC addresses the full spectrum of employment-related issues for our clients, such as unpaid wages; denial of family and medical leave; denial of disability accommodations; and discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, immigration status, language, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.